The temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is crucial for the conscious experience of the self as spatially united with the body. Using evoked potential mapping, the TPJ was selectively activated 330-400 milliseconds after stimulus onset when healthy volunteers imagined themselves in the position and visual perspective typical of out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the TPJ at this time impaired mental transformation of one's own body but not of external objects. In an epileptic patient with OBEs originating from the TPJ, partial activation of the seizure focus occurred during mental transformations mimicking her OBE perceptions. These findings suggest that impaired processing at the TPJ may lead to pathological selves such as OBEs.
Autoscopic phenomena (AP) are rare visual illusions where a person sees a second own body in external space, including out-of-body experiences, autoscopic hallucinations, and heautoscopy. This article reviews and statistically analyzes 41 neurological patients described over the past century, extracting phenomenological, functional, and anatomical variables that distinguish or are comparable among the three types. The findings provide testable hypotheses for future research. The authors suggest that scientifically demystifying AP can help investigate the cognitive functions and brain regions underlying normal corporeal awareness and self-consciousness.
People who have previously had out-of-body experiences (OBEs) show reduced cognitive flexibility when switching between different mental perspectives of their own body. In a study of 47 healthy participants (11 with prior OBEs, 36 without), individuals with OBEs performed worse on trials requiring them to alternate between imagining a figure as their own reflection (embodied self-location) and taking the figure's position (disembodied self-location mimicking an OBE). This difficulty was specific to switch trials, not repeated trials, and was most pronounced for body positions normally considered easier. The findings suggest that fronto-parietal brain connectivity, which supports flexible perspective-taking of self-congruent body representations, may be impaired in individuals prone to OBEs.
Autoscopic phenomena—rare illusory experiences of seeing a second own body in extrapersonal space—include out-of-body experiences, autoscopic hallucinations, and heautoscopy. Neurologic evidence points to deficits in multisensory integration of body-related information and vestibular dysfunction at the temporo-parietal junction as underlying mechanisms. Their rarity has hindered research, but recent findings link them to mental own-body imagery engaging the same brain region. This review examines clinical syndromes—psychosis, depression, anxiety, depersonalization, body dysmorphic disorder—and suggests they may relate to proneness for autoscopic phenomena, offering testable propositions for future research on body and self processing.